AN INDUSTRIAL estate car park has been given a fresh lease of life after a mum-of-two persuaded the local McDonald’s branch to pitch in and clear 30 bags of fast food rubbish from the site.

The Argus previously reported that Jess Lewis, 41, from the Risca area, enlisted the help of the fast food chain after becoming fed up by the amount of litter left in the Blackwood car park, which is used by dog walkers to access a popular wild swimming spot.

Last week, seven member of McDonald’s Blackwood met Ms Lewis at the Foxes Lane business park, and spent three hours picking up litter.

South Wales Argus:

Having removed most of the historical litter, the McDonald’s franchise has also agreed to go back to the car park for a regular spruce up.

“It went really well,” said Ms Lewis.

“We managed to completely clear the car park area, where people had been sitting outside their cars and just throwing their litter on the floor.

“And we even got down to the river. We cleared almost all of the historical rubbish from both of those areas in about three hours.”

 

(The carpark had previously been coated in a layer of fast food litter)

But, added Ms Lewis, a week after the litter pick the car park is again coated in a layer of fast food litter.

“It doesn’t surprise me to be honest,” said Ms Lewis.

“The mentality of people who drop litter means that they don’t look at a newly cleared area and think ‘I won’t drop litter here’.

“They probably think the council has cleared it. There were black bin bags dumped there, so people probably think they can dump stuff and get the council to clear it up now.

 

(But after a three hour clean, it was looking as good as new)

“But the historical stuff is gone, that’s the main thing. With regular picks there, it won’t take much to maintain it.”

Ms Lewis is now in talks with Caerphilly County Borough Council and the business park management team, who she hopes to meet later this week to discuss a more collaborative solution.

Speaking to the South Wales Argus before last week’s litter pick, Natasha Hole, manager of Blackwood McDonald’s said: “We try to do as much as we can for the local community in terms of keeping the environment as green as possible.

“Jess came to myself about the area in question and told us how it needed attention.

“It’s really good news that Jess decided to take matters into her own hands, and it’s great that she got us involved.

“We’ve done quite a few litter picks locally around the Blackwood area.”

PRACTICAL ADVICE

EVERY war needs its heroes.

This summer, the South Wales Argus will be bringing you stories from litter heroes from across Newport, Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly County Borough and Torfaen.

But YOU can make a difference too.

By making small changes, every single one of us can help tackle the plague of litter sweeping across Wales.

If you want to get involved in litter picking, or set up your own group, Keep Wales Tidy have this simple advice:

READ MORE: WAR ON LITTER: Group challenges people to change their attitudes on litter

“Small actions can make a big difference. So, when you’re out and about, remember to dispose of your litter responsibly – either put it in the bins provided or take it home with you.

“A growing number of people go one step further and carry out a #2minutestreetclean, #2minutebeachclean or just make a point of picking up five items of litter like crisp packets, plastic drinks bottles or cans.

“Anyone looking to dedicate more time to caring for their neighbourhood can sign up to become a Litter Champion. Keep Wales Tidy will provide all the equipment needed to safely carry out more thorough clean-ups.

“Keep Wales Tidy has project officers in every local authority who support community groups to tackle all kinds of environmental improvement projects. They can help with one-off events or support new groups to get going.

READ MORE: Newport pays £1.6million a year to clean up litter and fly tipping

“The charity also runs national clean-up campaigns two or three times a year. The next one to take place is the All Wales Beach Clean (14-30 September),which will also be targeting rivers and other watercourses across the country. All the details can be found on the Keep Wales Tidy website.”

You can get in touch with Keep Wales Tidy at info@keepwalestidy.cymru or call 029 2025 6767

Get in touch with the South Wales Argus to tell us about your success stories to be featured in our campaign, to shout about trouble spots or to nominate a local hero.

GET IN TOUCH

Throughout our War on Litter campaign, we want to feature every litter picking hero and volunteer group that we can. As well as your stories, we want your pictures and videos too. If you would like to be featured, or if you want to send us some pictures of problem areas that deserve attention, get in touch by emailing sam.ferguson@gwent-wales.co.uk or joining our dedicated Facebook group – South Wales Argus: War on Litter.